The key points from Theresa May's Tory conference speech

The Prime Minister suffered the indignity of being presented with a P45

by David Williamson, James Rodger

09:21, 5 Oct 2017Updated10:38, 5 Oct 2017

Theresa May's attempt to restore momentum to her premiership with promises of help for cash-strapped voters has been overshadowed by a series of bizarre mishaps in a high-profile speech plagued by unexpected interruptions.

The Prime Minister suffered the indignity of being presented with a P45 unemployment card by a stage invader.

She struggled with a persistent cough which repeatedly brought her oration to a halt.

And as she reached the climax of her address, letters fell off the slogan Building A Country That Works For Everyone on the backdrop behind her.

Mrs May used the 65-minute keynote speech to the Conservative conference in Manchester to announce plans for legislation to impose a cap on energy bills.

And she promised an additional £2 billion is to be provided to build "a new generation of council houses".

1. She explained why she has not quit.

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Mrs May said: “[When] people ask me why I put myself through it – the long hours, the pressure, the criticism and insults that inevitably go with the job – I tell them this: I do it to root out injustice and to give everyone in our country a voice.”

The Tory leader told the conference that the “test of a leader is how you respond when tough times come upon you” but that “our capacity to rise to the challenge before us may well be limitless”.

2. The PM spoke about childlessness and dedicated the rest of her time in office to ‘restoring hope’ between generations.

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Mrs May said: “It has always been a great sadness for me and Philip that we were never blessed with children. It seems some things in life are just never meant to be.

“But I believe in the dream that life should be better for the next generation as much as any mother, any father, any grandparent.

"The only difference is that I have the privileged position of being able to do more than most to bring that dream to life, so I will dedicate my premiership to fixing this problem, to restoring hope.”

She announced plans to invest an additional £2bn in affordable housing in England and to get “government back into the business of building homes”.

A key concern is that while 59% of 25-34 year-olds owned their own home a decade ago today the figure is just 38%.

Mrs May also confirmed that a “major review” of tuition fees in England will take place.

3. She joked about George Osborne allegedly wanting her in his freezer.

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In September it was reported that the former Chancellor said he would not rest until the PM was “chopped up in bags in my freezer”.

Mrs May made light of this, saying: “I don’t mind being called things like the Ice Maiden – though perhaps George Osborne took the analogy a little far.”

4. She shared her family history.

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Mrs May used the story of her own family as an example of the “British dream” in action.

She said: “My grandmother was a domestic servant, who worked as a lady’s maid below stairs. She worked hard and made sacrifices because she believed in a better future for her family.

“And that servant – that lady’s maid – among her grandchildren boasts three professors and a Prime Minister.”

Describing the “dream of progress between the generations”, she said: “To renew that dream is my purpose in politics.”

5. The Government will press ahead with plans for a price cap on energy bills.

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She said: “We will always take on monopolies and vested interests when they are holding people back. One of the greatest examples in Britain today is the broken energy market.”

6. She says the future of mainstream Conservatism is at stake.

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The PM told the audience: "[We] must come together to fight for this mainstream Conservative agenda, to win the battle of ideas in a new generation all over again, for those ideas are being tested and at stake are the very things we value.”

Urging the party to rally to stop Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn winning support for his vision for the economy, she said: “[There] has rarely been a time when the choice of futures for Britain is so stark, the difference between the parties so clear.”

7. She is preparing for what happens if there is no Brexit deal.

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She said: “It is our responsibility as a Government to prepare for every eventuality. And let me reassure everyone in this hall, that is exactly what we are doing.”

8. She says voters have said No to a second Scottish independence referendum.

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Mrs May said: “[As] a proud unionist, I take comfort that the general election saw the threat of nationalism set back, the case for a second referendum in Scotland denied.”